25. George Rodgers VC
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George Rodgers VC (1829-1870) of the 71st Regiment of Foot (later the Highland Light Infantry) and holder of the Victoria Cross. The Victoria Cross is the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. On 16th June 1858 at Marar, Gwalior in India, Private George Rodgers single-handedly attacked a party of seven rebels, one of whom he killed. This was a particularly vital act of bravery as the party of rebels were all armed and strongly posted in front of the line of advance of a detachment of the 71st Regiment. |
This impressive act of valour was not the cause of George Rodgers demise. Ironically, his death occurred in a tragic accident 12 years later. Calling at his sister's house at 24 Govan Street, on the morning of 9th March 1870, George made repeated, unsuccessful attempts to obtain alcohol from her. She eventually persuaded him ‘to have a lie down’ instead. A short time later while she was out George got up and made his way into her kitchen where he found a bottle of what he thought contained spirits and promptly swallowed the contents. Unfortunately for him the bottle contained Vitriol (sulphuric acid), resulting in a painful death later that day. George was buried in ‘accommodation ground’ - a cheap grave that cost 36 shillings and nine pence.
George Rodger’s Victoria Cross is displayed at the Museum of The Royal Highland Fusiliers at 518 Sauchiehall Street. It should not be forgotten that five of the first ten Victoria Crosses awarded went to Scottish soldiers. A lovely monument to Glasgow recipients of the Victoria Cross proudly stands in the Kirk Lane adjacent to the Bridge of Sighs at the Glasgow Necropolis. A delightful monument to the beloved Highland Light Infantry stands in Kelvingrove Park.
26. Alexander ‘Greek’ Thomson
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Arguably the greatest of Glasgow’s architects, Alexander Thomson (1817-1875) was born in the Stirlingshire village of Balfron on 9th April 1817. He created some of the most unique secular and ecclesiastical buildings of the Victorian era, blending neo-classical conventionality with Egyptian and oriental themes to produce buildings which have few equals anywhere when it comes to sheer originality. |
His father John Thomson was married twice, first to Christian Glass with whom he had 8 children and then to Alexander’s mother, Elizabeth Cooper, with whom he had a further 11 children. Alexander was number 17. After the death of his father in 1824, Alexander and those of his family still living in Balfron moved to Glasgow to be near the rest of the family. In Glasgow he trained as a lawyer’s clerk but his potential as an architect was soon recognised by Glasgow architect Robert Foote who made him an apprentice after seeing some of his drawings. Robert Foote retired in 1836 and Alexander joined the firm of John Baird I. He left in 1849 to form a partnership with John Baird II and their first buildings began to appear from 1850, these included Seymour Lodge in Ardsloy, the Italian Villa in Cove and a series of villas in St Andrews Drive, Glasgow.
There was more to their partnership than just business; they had married sisters both of whom were the granddaughters of architect and writer Peter Nicholson, who had designed Carlton Place. Alexander married Jane Nicholson and John Baird married her sister Jessie in a joint ceremony in London in 1847. Their home between 1849 and 1856 was a tenement building in Hutchesontown and from there the family moved to Shawlands and finally to Moray Place in 1860. In 1856, Alexander went into partnership with his Brother George to form the company of A & G Thomson. As he concentrated more on design and draughtsmanship his style became more distinctive and included terraces, villas, churches and warehouses. It’s not known when he was first given the title ‘Greek’ but his style was moving towards a modern interpretation of classical themes. In 1870, his brother and partner George, set out to fulfil a long held ambition by becoming a missionary in West Africa. George had run the business side of things and when Alexander entered into his last partnership with Robert Turnbull he expected Turnbull to assume George’s role.
Thomson’s work was inspired by the driving force of religion. His great-grandfather had been a Covenanter and Thomson was an elder of one of his own churches (Caledonia Road). He insisted that ‘Religion has been the soul of art from the beginning.’
After the death of his eldest child Agnes in 1854, Thomson purchased two lairs in the western section of the Southern Necropolis. Suffering for many years from asthma and bronchitis he found the cruel Glasgow winters hard to bear. During a bad spell in 1874-75 he died at his home in Moray Place on 22nd March 1875 aged 57. John Mossman, a leading sculptor, was commissioned to create a marble bust of Thomson which can now be seen in the Glasgow Kelvingrove Gallery. Alexander Thomson was a founding member and president of the Glasgow Institute of Architects and in 1876, through fundraising by friends and fellow architects, the GIA established the Alexander Thomson Memorial. This was a travelling studentship to be awarded every three years to promote the study of classical architecture. In 1890, it was awarded to a young student from Fir Park Terrace in Dennistoun - Charles Rennie Mackintosh.
The studentship was revived as part of Glasgow’s 1999 City of Architecture Festival. A competition was drawn up inviting entries for the design of a replacement monument for the grave of Alexander Thomson, the original having been removed through vandalism. The award was given to Glasgow based architecture students Graeme Andrew and Edward Taylor and was assembled by Watson Stonecraft. The polished black Irish granite monument was unveiled on 25th May 2006 by the Lord Provost of Glasgow, Liz Cameron and attended by members of the Thomson Family.
27. Captain Samuel B. Murray
Not far along on the left from Captain Murray is the grave of his shipmate William Hudson Birrell, monument 28 in the heritage trail.
28. William Hudson Birrell
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Both Captain Samuel B Murray (1862-1893) and his third engineer William Hudson Birrell (1869-1893) drowned on board the passenger cargo vessel “SS Trinacria” when it sank off the coast of Spain on 8th February 1893. Robert Duncan & Company of Port Glasgow built the 2,256 ton steamship in the year 1871, and her maiden voyage took place under the ownership of the Anchor Line in September of that year. The steamship had accommodation for 69 first class and 910 third class passengers.
On 3rd July 1892 the Trinacria commenced her last successful voyage, safely carrying almost a thousand immigrants from Italy to a new life in the United States. The journey took in Palermo and Naples, arriving in New York on the 29th July 1892. |
Tragically, the Trinacria was wrecked six months later near Cape Villano, Spain in February 1893. The ship had left Greenock on 2nd February 1893, heading for the Mediterranean with Gibraltar the first port of call. Suffering rough seas and poor visibility, the ship was grounded 4 miles from the Cape Villano lighthouse near Finisterre. The Trinacria immediately started to break up and the four female passengers were put into the only lifeboat it was possible to launch, but they were drowned when it capsized. Then a massive sea burst into the Trinacria, collapsing the funnels and ventilators onto the ship. At the same time, the masts went overboard. Thirty crew were swept away, including Hudson Birrell and Captain Murray, to bring the death toll to 34. Only seven survivors managed to reach shore.
The 24 year old engineer Birrell lived at 2 Havelock Terrace, just off the Paisley Road West. Captain Murray, aged 31, lived at 40 Dumbarton Road in Partick.
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